Bachmann: Americans fear 'rise of Soviet Union'

GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann said today that Americans "fear the rise of the Soviet Union" during an appearance on a conservative radio talk show.

The Soviet Union broke up into 15 separate republics 20 years ago. Boris Yeltsin was the first freely elected leader of Russia, the largest of those republics.

"What people recognize is that there's a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline. They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward," Bachmann said on Jay Sekulow's radio show.

Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, was trying to explain that Americans are concerned about issues in addition to jobs and the economy.

Bachmann's comment about the Soviet Union is making the rounds in the blogosphere. It was first reported by People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch and picked up by websites such as ThinkProgress, a project of the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

The GOP presidential candidate has flubbed some facts in history before, such as when she mistakenly said that the Revolutionary War battles of Lexington and Concord occurred in New Hampshire. This week, she mistakenly wished Elvis Presley a "happy birthday" on the anniversary of his death.

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About Catalina Camia

Catalina Camia leads the OnPolitics online community and has been at USA TODAY since 2005. She has been a reporter or editor covering politics and Congress for two decades, including stints at The Dallas Morning News and Congressional Quarterly. Follow her at @USATOnPolitics.